"Many battles claim to be the main battle of the Second World War. Some believe that this is the battle of Moscow, in which the fascist troops suffered their first defeat. Others believe that the Battle of Stalingrad should be considered as such; others think that the main battle was the Battle of Kursk arc. In America (and recently in Western Europe) no one doubts that the main battle was the Normandy landing operation and the battles that followed it. It seems to me that Western historians are right, although not in everything.
Let's think about what would have happened if the Western allies once again hesitated and did not land troops in 1944? It is clear that Germany would still have been defeated, only the Red Army would have ended the war not near Berlin and the Oder, but in Paris and on the banks of the Loire. It is clear that it would not be General de Gaulle who arrived in the Allied convoy who would have come to power in France, but one of the leaders of the Comintern. Similar figures could be found for Belgium, Holland, Denmark and all other large and small countries Western Europe(as they were found for Eastern European countries). Naturally, Germany would not have been divided into four occupation zones, therefore, a single German state would have been formed not in the 90s, but in the 40s, and it would not have been called the Federal Republic of Germany, but the GDR. There would be no place for NATO in this hypothetical world (who would join it except the USA and England?), but the Warsaw Pact would unite all of Europe. Ultimately, the Cold War, if it had taken place at all, would have been of a completely different nature, and would have had a completely different outcome. However, I am not at all going to prove that everything would have been exactly this way and not otherwise. But there is no doubt that the results of World War II would have been different. Well, the battle, which largely determined the course of post-war development, should rightfully be considered the main battle of the war. It’s just a stretch to call it a battle.
Atlantic Wall
This was the name of the German defense system in the west. Based on films and computer games this shaft seems to be something very powerful - rows of anti-tank hedgehogs, behind them are concrete pillboxes with machine guns and cannons, bunkers for manpower, etc. However, remember, have you ever seen a photograph somewhere in which all this could be seen? The most famous and widely circulated photograph of the NDO shows landing barges and American soldiers wading waist-deep in water, and this was filmed from the shore. We managed to find photographs of the landing sites that you see here. The soldiers land on a completely empty beach, where, apart from a few anti-tank hedgehogs, there are no defensive structures. So what exactly was the Atlantic Wall?
This name was first heard in the fall of 1940, when four long-range batteries were quickly built on the coast of Pas-de-Calais. True, they were not intended to repel the landing, but to disrupt navigation in the strait. Only in 1942, after the unsuccessful landing of the Canadian Rangers near Dieppe, the construction of defensive structures began, mainly all there, on the English Channel coast (it was assumed that this was where the Allied landing would take place); for the remaining areas, labor and materials were allocated according to the residual principle. There wasn’t much left, especially after the intensification of allied air raids on Germany (they had to build bomb shelters for the population and industrial enterprises). As a result, the construction of the Atlantic Wall was generally 50 percent complete, and even less in Normandy itself. The only area that was more or less ready for defense was the one that later received the name Omaha bridgehead. However, he also looked completely different from how it is depicted in the game you know well.
Think for yourself, what is the point of placing concrete fortifications on the very shore? Of course, the guns installed there can fire at landing craft, and machine-gun fire can hit enemy soldiers as they wade through waist-deep water. But the bunkers standing right on the shore are clearly visible to the enemy, so he can easily suppress them with naval artillery. Therefore, only passive defensive structures (minefields, concrete obstacles, anti-tank hedgehogs) are created directly at the water's edge. Behind them, preferably along the crests of dunes or hills, trenches are opened, and on the reverse slopes of the hills dugouts and other shelters are built where infantry can wait out an artillery attack or bombing. Well, even further, sometimes several kilometers from the coast, closed artillery positions are created (this is where you can see the powerful concrete casemates that we love to show in the movies).
The defense in Normandy was built approximately according to this plan, but, I repeat, the main part of it was created only on paper. For example, about three million mines were deployed, but according to the most conservative estimates, at least sixty million were needed. The artillery positions were mostly ready, but the guns were not installed everywhere. I’ll tell you this: long before the invasion, the French Resistance movement reported that the Germans had installed four naval 155-mm guns on the Merville battery. The firing range of these guns could reach 22 km, so there was a danger of shelling of warships, so the decision was made to destroy the battery at any cost. This task was assigned to the 9th Battalion of the 6th Parachute Division, which prepared for it for almost three months. A very accurate model of the battery was built, and the battalion's soldiers attacked it from all sides day after day. Finally, D-Day arrived, with much noise and uproar, the battalion captured the battery and discovered there... four French 75-mm cannons on iron wheels (from the First World War). The positions were indeed made for 155-mm guns, but the Germans did not have the guns themselves, so they installed what was at hand.
It must be said that the arsenal of the Atlantic Wall generally consisted mainly of captured guns. For four years, the Germans methodically stole there everything that they got from the defeated armies. There were Czech, Polish, French and even Soviet guns, and many of them had a very limited supply of shells. The situation was approximately the same with small arms; either captured weapons or those removed from service on the Eastern Front ended up in Normandy. In total, the 37th Army (which bore the brunt of the battle) used 252 types of ammunition, and 47 of them were long out of production.
Personnel
Now let's talk about who exactly had to repel the Anglo-American invasion. Let's start with command staff. Surely you remember the one-armed and one-eyed Colonel Stauffenberg, who made an unsuccessful attempt on Hitler's life. Have you ever wondered why such a disabled person was not outright dismissed, but continued to serve, albeit in the reserve army? Yes, because by 1944, the fitness requirements in Germany had been significantly reduced, in particular, loss of an eye, arm, severe concussion, etc. were no longer grounds for dismissal from service of senior and mid-level officers. Of course, such monsters would be of little use on the Eastern Front, but it would be possible to plug holes with them in units stationed on the Atlantic Wall. So approximately 50% of the command personnel there were classified as “limitedly fit.”
The Fuhrer did not ignore the rank and file either. Take for example the 70th Infantry Division, better known as the "White Bread Division." It consisted entirely of soldiers suffering from various kinds of stomach diseases, which is why they had to constantly be on a diet (naturally, with the beginning of the invasion, it became difficult to maintain a diet, so this division disappeared by itself). In other units there were entire battalions of soldiers suffering from flat feet, kidney disease, diabetes, etc. In a relatively calm environment, they could perform rear service, but their combat value was close to zero.
However, not all the soldiers on the Atlantic Wall were sick or crippled; there were quite a few who were quite healthy, but they were over 40 years old (and in the artillery, mostly fifty-year-olds served).
Well, the last, most amazing fact is that there were only about 50% of native Germans in the infantry divisions, the remaining half were all sorts of trash from all over Europe and Asia. It’s a shame to admit this, but there were quite a few of our compatriots there, for example, the 162nd Infantry Division consisted entirely of the so-called “eastern legions” (Turkmen, Uzbek, Azerbaijani, etc.). There were also Vlasovites on the Atlantic Wall, although the Germans themselves were not sure that they would be of any use. For example, the commander of the Cherbourg garrison, General Schlieben, said: “It is very doubtful that we will be able to persuade these Russians to fight for Germany on French territory against the Americans and the British.” He turned out to be right; most of the eastern troops surrendered to the Allies without a fight.
Bloody Omaha Beach
American troops landed in two areas, Utah and Omaha. In the first of them, the battle did not work out - in this sector there were only two strong points, each of which was defended by a reinforced platoon. Naturally, they were unable to provide any resistance to the 4th American Division, especially since both were practically destroyed by naval artillery fire even before the landing began.
By the way, there was interesting case, which perfectly characterizes the fighting spirit of the allies. A few hours before the start of the invasion, airborne troops were landed deep in the German defenses. Due to a mistake by the pilots, about three dozen paratroopers were dropped on the very shore near the W-5 bunker. The Germans destroyed some of them, while others were captured. And at 4.00 these prisoners began to beg the bunker commander to immediately send them to the rear. When the Germans asked why they were so impatient, the brave warriors immediately reported that in an hour artillery preparation from the ships would begin, followed by a landing. It is a pity that history has not preserved the names of these “fighters for freedom and democracy” who gave away the hour of the invasion in order to save their own skins.
Let us return, however, to the Omaha beachhead. In this area there is only one area accessible for landing, 6.5 km long (steep cliffs stretch for many kilometers to the east and west of it). Naturally, the Germans were able to prepare it well for defense; on the flanks of the site there were two powerful bunkers with guns and machine guns. However, their cannons could only fire at the beach and a small strip of water along it (from the sea, the bunkers were covered with rocks and a six-meter layer of concrete). Behind a relatively narrow strip of beach, hills began, up to 45 meters high, along the crest of which trenches were dug. This entire defense system was well known to the Allies, but they hoped to suppress it before the landing began. Two battleships, three cruisers and six destroyers were to fire on the bridgehead. In addition, field artillery was supposed to fire from the landing ships, and eight landing barges were converted into installations for launching rockets. In just thirty minutes, more than 15 thousand shells of various calibers (up to 355 mm) were to be fired. And they were released... into the world like a pretty penny. Subsequently, the allies came up with many excuses for the low effectiveness of the shooting, such as heavy seas, pre-dawn fog, and something else, but one way or another, neither the bunkers nor even the trenches were damaged by the shelling.
Allied aviation performed even worse. An armada of Liberator bombers dropped several hundred tons of bombs, but none of them hit not only enemy fortifications, but even the beach (and some bombs exploded five kilometers from the coast).
Thus, the infantry had to overcome a completely intact enemy defense line. However, troubles for the ground units began even before they reached the shore. For example, out of 32 amphibious tanks (DD Sherman), 27 sank almost immediately after launching (two tanks reached the beach under their own power, three more were unloaded directly onto the shore). The commanders of some landing barges, not wanting to enter a sector shelled by German guns (Americans in general have a much better developed instinct for self-preservation than their sense of duty, and indeed all other feelings), folded back the ramps and began unloading at depths of about two meters, where most of the paratroopers successfully sank .
Finally, at the very least, the first wave of troops was landed. It included the 146th sapper battalion, whose fighters had to, first of all, destroy the concrete gouges so that the landing of tanks could begin. But that was not the case; behind each hole lay two or three brave American infantrymen who, to put it mildly, objected to the destruction of such a reliable shelter. The sappers had to plant explosives on the side facing the enemy (naturally, many of them died in the process; out of 272 sappers in total, 111 were killed). To assist the sappers in the first wave, 16 armored bulldozers were assigned. Only three reached the shore, and the sappers were able to use only two of them - the paratroopers took cover behind the third and, threatening the driver, forced him to remain in place. I think there are quite enough examples of “mass heroism”.
Well, then we begin to have complete mysteries. Any source devoted to the events at the Omaha Beachhead necessarily contains references to two “fire-breathing bunkers on the flanks,” but none of them says who, when and how the fire of these bunkers was suppressed. It seems that the Germans were shooting and shooting, and then stopped (perhaps this was the case, remember what I wrote above about ammunition). The situation is even more interesting with the machine guns firing along the front. When the American sappers smoked out their comrades from behind the concrete gouges, they had to seek refuge in the dead zone at the foot of the hills (in some ways this can be considered an offensive). One of the squads taking refuge there discovered a narrow path leading to the top.
Carefully moving along this path, the infantrymen reached the crest of the hill, and found completely empty trenches there! Where did the Germans who defended them go? But they weren’t there; in this sector the defense was occupied by one of the companies of the 1st battalion of the 726th Grenadier Regiment, which consisted mainly of Czechs forcibly conscripted into the Wehrmacht. Naturally, they dreamed of surrendering to the Americans as quickly as possible, but you must admit that throwing out the white flag even before the enemy attacks you is somehow undignified, even for the descendants of the brave soldier Schweik. The Czechs lay in their trenches, from time to time firing a burst or two towards the Americans. But after some time they realized that even such formal resistance was holding back the enemy’s advance, so they collected their belongings and retreated to the rear. There they were eventually captured to everyone's satisfaction.
In short, after digging through a pile of materials dedicated to the NDO, I managed to find one single story about the military clash at the Omaha bridgehead, and I quote it verbatim. "E Company, landing in front of Colleville, after a two-hour battle, captured a German bunker on the top of a hill and took 21 prisoners." All!
Main battle of World War II
In this brief overview I only told about the first hours of the Normandy landing operation. In the days that followed, the Anglo-Americans had to face many difficulties. Then there was the storm, which practically destroyed one of the two artificial ports; and confusion with supplies (field hairdressers were delivered to the beachhead very late); and inconsistency in the actions of the allies (the British launched the offensive two weeks earlier than planned; obviously, they were less dependent on the availability of field hairdressers than the Americans). However, the enemy's opposition among these difficulties is the most last place. So should we call all this a “battle”?”
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On the night of June 5-6, 1944, the landing of Allied forces in Normandy began. In order for the most ambitious landing operation in history not to end in an equally monumental failure, the Allied command needed to achieve the highest level of coordination of all branches of the troops that took part in the landing. The exceptional complexity of the task, of course, did not allow the gigantic invasion mechanism to work without a single glitch; There were enough hiccups and problems. But the main thing is that the goal was achieved, and the Second Front, the opening of which had been awaited for so long in the East, began to function in full force.
Already at the early stage of preparation for the invasion, it was clear to the Allied command that without gaining absolute air superiority, any actions by naval and ground forces were doomed to failure. In accordance with the preliminary plan, the actions of the air force were to take place in four stages. The first stage is the bombing of strategic targets in Germany. The second is a strike on railway junctions, coastal batteries, as well as airfields and ports within a radius of about 150 miles from the invasion zone. At the third stage, aviation was supposed to cover the troops during the crossing of the English Channel. The fourth stage provided for direct air support of ground forces, preventing the transfer of reinforcements for German army, conducting airborne operations and ensuring air supply of troops with necessary cargo.
Let us note that it was quite difficult to establish interaction between aviation and other branches of the military. The British Air Force, after leaving the subordination of the army and navy in 1918, tried with all its might to maintain independence.
The American Air Force also strived for maximum independence. At the same time, both the British and the Americans were confident that the bombers would be able to crush the enemy with minimal participation of soldiers and sailors.
There was some truth in this belief. Since the autumn of 1943, British and American strategic bombers launched attacks on Germany aimed at destroying industrial centers and reducing the Germans' will to resist. The use of “flying fortresses” and “Liberators” accompanied by fighters led to the fact that the Germans, repelling air attacks, lost not only cars, but also pilots in battles with escort fighters (which was much more serious, since it was impossible to quickly train a good pilot ). As a result, the average skill level of Luftwaffe pilots dropped greatly by the time Operation Overlord began.
A major success of Allied aviation was that due to constant bombing from May to August 1944, the level of production of synthetic fuel and aviation alcohol in Germany fell sharply. According to some researchers, if the “flying fortresses” of General Karl Spaatz had continued to operate in the same spirit, then Germany could have been defeated by the end of 1944. How true this belief is can only be guessed, because from the very beginning of the year, the generals who were working on the landing plans tried to subordinate strategic aviation to their interests. And after much debate, the commander-in-chief of the allied forces, Dwight Eisenhower, achieved his goal: bomber aviation was transferred to the subordination of the joint Anglo-American Chiefs of Staff.
To participate in the operation, the British Bomber Command of A. Harris, the 8th American Army of Strategic Aviation of K. Spaats and the Allied Expeditionary Air Forces as part of the 9th American Air Force and English Seconds tactical air force. This formation was commanded by Air Chief Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory. The latter was not satisfied with the existing division of forces. He stated that without the participation of bomber forces, he would not be able to provide cover for the fleet during the crossing of the English Channel, as well as adequate support for ground forces. Leigh-Mallory wanted one headquarters to direct all air operations. Such a headquarters was deployed in the town of Hillingdon. Air Marshal Conyngham became chief of staff.
A two-stage plan for the use of bombers was developed. In accordance with this idea, at first strategic aviation was supposed to inflict maximum damage on the railways of France and Belgium to reduce their capacity. Then, immediately before the landing, it was necessary to concentrate on bombing all communication routes, bridges, etc. 
transport rolling stock in the landing zone and adjacent territories, thereby blocking the movement of German troops. Leigh-Mallory identified 75 targets that should be destroyed first.
The command decided to test the plan in practice. To begin with, on the night of March 7, about 250 British bombers “worked” on the Trapp station near Paris, putting it out of action for a month. Then, over the course of a month, eight more similar strikes were carried out. Analysis of the results showed that Leigh-Mallory was right in principle. But there was an unpleasant moment: such bombings inevitably entailed casualties among civilians. If it were the Germans, the Allies would not be too worried. But France and Belgium were to be bombed. And the death of civilians would hardly contribute to a friendly attitude towards the liberators. After much debate, it was decided to carry out strikes only where the risk of casualties among the civilian population would be minimal. On April 15, the final list of targets was approved and brought to the attention of the strategic aviation commanders.
By the beginning of the Allied landings, about 80 objects had been bombed, which were hit by a total of more than 66 thousand tons of bombs. As a result, the movement of German troops and supplies by rail was greatly hampered, and when Operation Overlord began, the Germans were unable to organize the rapid transfer of forces for a decisive counterattack.
The closer the date of the attack got, the more active the Allied air raids became. Now bombers destroyed not only railway junctions and industrial facilities, but also radar stations, trains, military and transport airfields. Coastal artillery batteries were subjected to heavy attacks, not only those located in the landing zone, but also others located on the French coast.
In parallel with the bombing, the Allies were engaged in providing air cover for troop concentration areas. Continuous fighter patrols were organized over the English Channel and in the surrounding area. The command order stated: the appearance of German aircraft over southern England must be completely excluded. However, the Luftwaffe was no longer capable of a serious air offensive, so a few reconnaissance flights could not reveal the Allied plans.
The Germans, of course, understood that the landing of Anglo-American troops on the continent was inevitable. But they did not receive vital knowledge about where exactly this would happen. Meanwhile, the German army did not have the strength to provide reliable defense of the entire coast. And the so-called “Atlantic Wall,” about whose impregnable fortifications only the deaf had never heard of in Germany, was in to a greater extent a propaganda fiction rather than a real defensive structure. When Field Marshal Rommel was appointed commander of Army Group B, he made an inspection tour of the Val and was unpleasantly surprised by what he saw. Many fortifications existed only on paper, construction work was carried out with unacceptable neglect, and existing 
there were not always enough troops available even to fill the already built fortifications. And the worst thing that Rommel realized then was that no amount of effort would be enough to change this situation for the better.
At the start of Operation Overlord, the Air Force had two main tasks: to cover the invasion fleet and the landing of troops, and to deliver glider and parachute units of airborne troops to their destination. Moreover, gliders were even to some extent more important, because they carried anti-tank guns, cars, heavy weapons and other massive loads.
The airborne landing began on the night of June 5-6. It involved 1,662 aircraft and 500 gliders from the American Air Force and 733 aircraft and 335 gliders from the British military aviation. Overnight, 4.7 thousand soldiers, 17 guns, 44 Willys vehicles and 55 motorcycles were dropped on Normandy territory. Another 22 gliders with people and cargo crashed during landing.
In parallel with the airborne landing, diversionary operations were carried out in the area of Le Havre and Boulogne. Near Le Havre, 18 British ships maneuvered demonstratively, and bombers dropped metal strips and mirror reflectors so that a lot of interference was displayed on the German radar screens and it seemed that a large fleet was heading towards the continent.
At the same time, another performance was played out in the north-west of France: stuffed paratroopers and pyrotechnics were dropped from airplanes to simulate shooting.
While the fleet was approaching the shores of Normandy, allied aircraft bombed the locations of German troops, headquarters, and coastal batteries. Anglo-American Air Force aircraft dropped more than 5,000 tons of bombs on the main batteries, and almost 1,800 tons on the defensive structures in the Bay of the Seine.
Opinions regarding the effectiveness of this raid are quite contradictory. In any case, it is known for sure that many batteries, even after intense bombing, fired at the Allied amphibious assault. And the bombing itself was not always accurate. In the town of Merville, the 9th Parachute Battalion was hit by its own bombs. The unit suffered heavy losses.
At about 10 a.m., when the naval landing was already in full swing, approximately 170 fighter squadrons were in the air. According to the recollections of eyewitnesses and participants, there was real chaos in the air: due to low clouds, the Mustang and Typhoon planes were forced to fly at low altitude. Because of this, German anti-aircraft artillery managed to shoot down 17 and damage large number winged cars.
The few German air forces were taken by surprise. In general, the Germans did not have the slightest chance of establishing resistance to the winged armada of the Allies, since out of the four hundred combat aircraft available to the 3rd Air Fleet, less than two hundred could take off. In fact, only a few planes took off, which did not have the slightest impact on the situation. 
influence.
Small groups of Focke-Wulf and Me-110 fighters attempted to operate against the invasion fleet. Between 6 and 10 June they managed to sink an American destroyer and one landing craft. On the scale of the landing these were absolutely negligible losses.
On the morning of June 7, 175 German bombers attempted to attack the landing troops. The RAF Spitfires repelled the attack, and the only thing the Germans managed to do was drop a small number of mines into the Seine Bay. Several landing ships were blown up on them.
By June 10, the Allies managed to complete the construction of the first airfield in Normandy. Three squadrons from the 144th air wing of the Canadian Air Force began operating from it. By other units, this and other airfields that were rapidly being built on the continent were initially used as refueling and ammunition replenishment points, and as the front line moved away from the coast, Allied aircraft began to use them as permanent ones.
The losses of German aviation in the period from June 6 to September 5 amounted to more than 3,500 aircraft, the British lost 516 aircraft. One of the results of this defeat was that the number of ace pilots in the Allied Air Forces decreased, as the likelihood of meeting the enemy in the air dropped sharply.
The importance of the Air Force during the preparatory stage of the invasion of Normandy and directly during Operation Overlord cannot be overestimated. Allied strategic aviation caused severe damage to transport communications in the occupied territories of France and Belgium. Fighters and light bombers seized unconditional air supremacy over the landing zone, thanks to which German aviation, already not very strong, was neutralized almost one hundred percent. The German anti-aircraft artillery was physically unable to cope with the armadas of aircraft that the Allies took into the air. Even despite the mistakes made and the rather dubious effectiveness of aviation actions in a number of moments, it was a clear victory.
Tankers!
From June 5 9:00 (Moscow time) to June 8 8:30 (Moscow time) The game will host an event dedicated to the anniversary of Operation Overlord. At this time you are expected to:
Bonuses and discounts
During the promotion you will receive 3 times more free experience for every fight (15% instead of 5% ).
And also a bonus when converting experience into free experience:
35 for 1 instead 25 .
And that's not all:
30% discount on researchable vehicles from the USA, Germany, France and the UKVI-VII levels.
The discount does not apply to cars participating in the Asya Sharit promotion..
Combat missions
« Operation Overlord, part 1»
« Operation"Overlord", part 2 »
| Target |
Execute 10 times task " Operation Overlord, part 1" |
| Reward |
for rent for 3 days |
| Restrictions |
The task can be completed only once per account |
accrued upon completion of a combat mission " Operation "Overlord", part 2" along with a temporary slot in the Hangar and a crew 50% trained in their main specialty. If you already have this vehicle in your Hangar, compensation for it will not be awarded.
Go into battle on a rental Can within 3 days from the moment the task is completed. After the rental period ends, there are two options: you can purchase the tank permanently or remove the rental vehicle from the Hangar (both actions are available in the context menu). In the second case, it is necessary to manually disembark the crew from the tank, as well as remove the equipment.
If at the end of the rental period you do not remove the vehicle manually or do not purchase it, it will remain in the Hangar, but you will not be able to go into battle with it.
« Landing on the beach “Gold”»
« Landing at Juno Beach"
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« Landing on Sord Beach"
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| Reward |
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| Restrictions |
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« Landing on Omaha Beach"
| Goals |
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| Reward |
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| Restrictions |
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« Landing on Utah Beach"
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Besides, From June 5 9:00 (Moscow time) to June 15 8:30 (Moscow time) players who complete a combat mission will be able to complete another one:
« The landing was successful»
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| Reward |
10% more experience for the fight |
| Restrictions |
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Rewards for completing combat missions can be cumulative subject to all conditions and restrictions.
Good luck on the battlefields!
Historical background
On June 6, 1944, the strategic Operation Overlord began to land Allied troops in Normandy - the largest amphibious landing in the history of war. More than three million people took part in it. Operation Overlord opened the Western Front in the European theater of World War II.
At the preparation stage, the operation was extremely secret. The military personnel who were supposed to be part of the operation were prohibited from leaving their places of deployment. Preparations for Overlord were accompanied by a massive disinformation campaign.
Allied forces included the armies of the United States, Canada, Great Britain, as well as Free French troops and French Resistance units. The operation was commanded by General Dwight Eisenhower. The landing zones were divided between Omar Bradley's 1st American Army (Omaha and Utah sites) and Miles Dempsey's British 2nd Army (Sword, Juneau, and Gold sites).
Shortly after midnight, American and British paratroopers landed on the occupied territory. Their tasks were to capture bridges, small settlements and providing cover for the landing.
The landings on the beaches of Normandy began around 6:30 am. Throughout the day, American and British troops fought against the German defensive line. The most stubborn enemy resistance was in the Omaha sector in the American zone of responsibility. Here the landing troops suffered their heaviest losses. The British also faced serious opposition in the Sword sector.
By the end of the day, the Allies managed to land about 150 thousand people and a large amount of equipment ashore. In some areas, the advance of British and American troops amounted to eight kilometers inland. A powerful springboard for developing an offensive deep into Europe was ready.
By mid-1944, the position of the warring states and coalitions had changed significantly. Soviet troops inflicted major defeats on the Wehrmacht on the eastern front and were approaching vital enemy centers.
Germany's position was also worsening due to the real prospect of an imminent landing of American-British troops in France. The line of defense of German troops on the western front ran along the coasts of Norway, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, France, then went along the southern coast of France, south of Rome crossed Italian territory, continued along the coast of Yugoslavia, Albania and ended in Greece.
The United States and England, taking advantage of favorable conditions, began preparing the landing of their troops in Northern France (Operation Overlord) and an auxiliary strike in Southern France (Operation Anvil).
Before the actual implementation of Operation Overlord, four armies were concentrated in the British Isles: the 1st and 3rd American, the 2nd British and the 1st Canadian. These armies consisted of 37 divisions (23 infantry, 10 armored, 4 airborne) and 12 brigades. There were also 10 “commando” and “rangens” detachments (British and American airborne sabotage units of the Marine Corps).
The first stage of the landing operation was carried out by the forces of the 21st Army Group under the command of the English General B. Montgomery. It included the 1st American (commander General O. Bradley), 2nd British (commander General M. Dempsey) and 1st Canadian (commander General H. Grerard) armies.
At dawn on June 6, under the cover of artillery and massive air strikes, the landing of troops began almost unhindered on five sections of the coast. German units did not take decisive measures to disrupt the actions of the Allied forces. German aviation and the navy did not provide adequate resistance to the landing, although individual units and formations located on the coast defended stubbornly, especially in the area where the 1st Infantry Division of the 5th American Corps landed.
By the evening of the first day of the invasion, the Allies captured three bridgeheads, on which 8 divisions and an armored brigade landed, with a total number of 150 thousand soldiers and officers. The time for a German counterattack was largely lost. The 709th, 352nd and 716th German divisions, located directly on the coast, fought on a 100-kilometer front and were unable to repel the landings of the Allied troops.
On the first day of the landing operation, the Americans lost 6,603 people, including 1,465 killed, while the British and Canadians lost about 4 thousand people killed, wounded and missing.
The command of the expeditionary forces transferred new forces and equipment to the captured bridgeheads. Reflecting attacks from German units, formations of Anglo-American troops deployed to the bridgehead advanced deep into the coast.
On June 10, one common bridgehead was created, which had 70 km along the front and 8-15 km in depth. By June 12, the expeditionary forces managed to expand it to 80 km along the front and 13-18 km in depth. There were already 16 divisions and armored units in the bridgehead, the equivalent of three armored divisions. By this time, the Anglo-American troops in Normandy included 327 thousand people, 54 thousand combat and transport vehicles and 104 thousand tons of cargo. The 7th Corps of the 1st American Army fought stubborn battles on the distant approaches to Cherbourg. However, the Allies failed to take the city and port of Caen.
The command of the German troops brought up reserves to eliminate the bridgehead on the coast. But it still believed that the main attack of the Anglo-American troops would follow through the Pas de Calais Strait and continued to keep large forces here. On June 12, German troops made an unsuccessful attempt to cut through the Allied group between the Orne and Vir rivers.
Hitler had high hopes for a new weapon - the V-1 projectile aircraft. It was launched soon after the landing - on the night of June 13.
The position of German troops in the West continued to deteriorate. Until July 20, the landing Allied expeditionary forces fought to create a strategic bridgehead.
Formations of the 1st American Army began their offensive on June 12 from the area west of Sainte-Mère-Eglise to westward, occupied Komont. On June 17 they cut off the Cotentin Peninsula, on June 27 they captured Cherbourg, taking 30 thousand people prisoner, and on July 1 they completed clearing the Cotentin Peninsula from German troops.
Allied forces landing in Normandy continued to expand the bridgehead. On July 3, the 1st American Army went on the offensive. In 17 days, it advanced 10-15 km and occupied the city and important road junction of Saint-Lo. The British 2nd Army, after heavy and difficult attacks, captured Caen on July 19. The 3rd American and 1st Canadian armies were landed on the bridgehead.
By July 25, the allied forces reached the line south of Saint-Lo, Caumont, and Caen. This completed the Normandy landing operation. The Allies lost 122 thousand people during the period from June 6 to July 23. The losses of German troops amounted to 113 thousand people killed, wounded and prisoners, as well as 2,117 tanks and 345 aircraft.
The Allied landing on French soil, which meant the opening of a second front in Western Europe, was the largest amphibious operation of strategic importance during the Second World War. It became an important factor in the armed struggle against the fascist bloc. Germany found itself squeezed from the east and west and was forced to fight on two fronts. The Allies diverted a certain part of Germany's strategic reserves. The second front made it possible to reduce the duration of the war and the number of its victims.
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Warsaw- combat operations in the Warsaw area by troops of the 1st Belorussian Front on August 2 - September 23, 1944 during the Second World War of 1939-1945.
"Second Front". Our soldiers opened it for three whole years. This is what the American stew was called. And the “second front” existed in the form of planes, tanks, trucks, and non-ferrous metals. But the real opening of the second front, the Normandy landings, occurred only on June 6, 1944.
Europe is like one impregnable fortress
In December 1941, Adolf Hitler announced that he would create a belt of giant fortifications from Norway to Spain and this would be an insurmountable front for any enemy. This was the Fuhrer's first reaction to the US entry into World War II. Not knowing where the Allied troops would land, in Normandy or elsewhere, he promised to turn all of Europe into an impregnable fortress.
It was absolutely impossible to do this, however, for another whole year no fortifications were built along the coastline. And why was it necessary to do this? The Wehrmacht was advancing on all fronts, and the victory of the Germans seemed simply inevitable to them.
Start of construction
At the end of 1942, Hitler now seriously ordered the construction of a belt of structures on the western coast of Europe within a year, which he called the Atlantic Wall. Almost 600,000 people worked on construction. All of Europe was left without cement. Even materials from the old French Maginot Line were used, but they could not meet the deadline. The main thing was missing - well-trained and armed troops. The Eastern Front literally devoured German divisions. So many units in the west had to be formed from old men, children and women. The combat effectiveness of such troops did not inspire any optimism in the commander-in-chief at Western Front Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt. He repeatedly asked the Fuhrer for reinforcements. Hitler eventually sent Field Marshal Erwin Rommel to help him.
New curator
The elderly Gerd von Rundstedt and the energetic Erwin Rommel did not work well together right away. Rommel did not like that the Atlantic Wall was only half built, there were not enough large-caliber guns, and despondency reigned among the troops. In private conversations, Gerd von Rundstedt called the defenses a bluff. He believed that his units needed to be withdrawn from the coast and attack the Allied landing site in Normandy afterward. Erwin Rommel strongly disagreed with this. He intended to defeat the British and Americans right on the shore, where they could not bring up reinforcements.
To do this, it was necessary to concentrate tank and motorized divisions off the coast. Erwin Rommel stated: “The war will be won or lost on these sands. The first 24 hours of the invasion will be decisive. The landing of troops in Normandy will include military history as one of the most unfortunate thanks to the valiant German army.” In general, Adolf Hitler approved of Erwin Rommel's plan, but kept the tank divisions under his command.
The coastline is getting stronger
Even under these conditions, Erwin Rommel did a lot. Almost the entire coast of French Normandy was mined, and tens of thousands of metal and wooden slingshots were installed below the water level at low tide. It seemed that a landing in Normandy was impossible. The barrier structures were supposed to stop the landing ships so that the coastal artillery had time to target enemy targets. The troops were engaged in combat training without interruption. There is not a single part of the coast left where Erwin Rommel has not visited.
Everything is ready for defense, you can rest
In April 1944, he would tell his adjutant: “Today I have only one enemy, and that enemy is time.” All these worries exhausted Erwin Rommel so much that at the beginning of June he went on a short vacation, as did many German military commanders on the west coast. Those who did not go on vacation, by a strange coincidence, found themselves on business trips far from the coast. The generals and officers who remained on the ground were calm and relaxed. The weather forecast until mid-June was the most unsuitable for landing. Therefore, the Allied landing in Normandy seemed something unreal and fantastic. Strong seas, squally winds and low clouds. No one had any idea that an unprecedented armada of ships had already left English ports.
Great battles. Landing in Normandy
The Allies called the Normandy landings Operation Overlord. Literally translated, this means “lord.” It became the largest landing operation in human history. The Allied landings in Normandy involved 5,000 warships and landing craft. The Allied commander, General Dwight Eisenhower, could not delay the landing because of the weather. Only three days - from June 5 to 7 - there was a late moon, and immediately after dawn there was low water. The condition for the transfer of paratroopers and troops on gliders was a dark sky and moonrise during landing. Low tide was necessary for the amphibious assault to see the coastal barriers. In stormy seas, thousands of paratroopers suffered from seasickness in the cramped holds of boats and barges. Several dozen ships could not withstand the assault and sank. But nothing could stop the operation. The Normandy landings begin. The troops were to land at five places on the coast.
Operation Overlord begins
At 0 hours 15 minutes on June 6, 1944, the ruler entered the soil of Europe. Paratroopers began the operation. Eighteen thousand paratroopers scattered across the lands of Normandy. However, not everyone is lucky. About half ended up in swamps and minefields, but the other half completed their tasks. Panic began in the German rear. Communication lines were destroyed, and, most importantly, undamaged strategically important bridges were captured. By this time, the marines were already fighting on the coast.
The landing of American troops in Normandy was on the sandy beaches of Omaha and Utah, the British and Canadians landed on the Sword, Juna and Gold sections. Warships fought a duel with the coastal artillery, trying, if not to suppress, then at least to distract it from the paratroopers. Thousands of Allied aircraft simultaneously bombed and stormed German positions. One English pilot recalled that the main task was not to collide with each other in the sky. The Allied air superiority was 72:1.
Memoirs of a German ace
On the morning and afternoon of June 6, the Luftwaffe did not offer any resistance to the coalition troops. Only two German pilots showed up in the landing area: the commander of the 26th Fighter Squadron, the famous ace Joseph Priller, and his wingman.
Joseph Priller (1915-1961) got tired of listening to confusing explanations of what was happening on the shore, and he himself flew out to investigate. Seeing thousands of ships at sea and thousands of aircraft in the air, he ironically exclaimed: “Today is truly a great day for Luftwaffe pilots.” Indeed, never before have the Reich air force been so powerless. Two planes flew low over the beach, firing cannons and machine guns, and disappeared into the clouds. That's all they could do. When the mechanics examined the German ace’s plane, it turned out that there were more than two hundred bullet holes in it.
The Allied assault continues
The Nazi navy did little better. Three torpedo boats in a suicidal attack on the invasion fleet managed to sink one American destroyer. The landing of Allied troops in Normandy, namely the British and Canadians, did not encounter serious resistance in their areas. In addition, they managed to transport tanks and guns to the shore intact. The Americans, especially in the Omaha section, were much less fortunate. Here the German defense was held by the 352nd Division, which consisted of veterans who had been fired at on different fronts.
The Germans brought the paratroopers within four hundred meters and opened heavy fire. Almost all American boats approached the shore east of the designated places. They were carried away by a strong current, and thick smoke from the fires made it difficult to navigate. The sapper platoons were almost destroyed, so there was no one to make passages in the minefields. Panic began. Then several destroyers came close to the shore and began direct fire at the German positions. The 352nd Division did not remain in debt to the sailors; the ships were seriously damaged, but the paratroopers under their cover were able to break through the German defenses. Thanks to this, the Americans and British were able to advance several miles forward at all landing sites.
Trouble for the Fuhrer
A few hours later, when Adolf Hitler woke up, Field Marshals Wilhelm Keitel and Alfred Jodl cautiously reported to him that the Allied landings seemed to have begun. Since there were no exact data, the Fuhrer did not believe them. The tank divisions remained in their places. At this time, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was sitting at home and also didn’t really know anything. The German military commanders wasted time. The attacks of the following days and weeks achieved nothing. The Atlantic Wall collapsed. The Allies entered the operational space. Everything was decided in the first twenty-four hours. The Allied landings in Normandy took place.
Historic D-Day
A huge army crossed the English Channel and landed in France. The first day of the offensive was called D-Day. The task is to gain a foothold on the coast and drive the Nazis out of Normandy. But bad weather in the strait could lead to disaster. The English Channel is famous for its storms. In a matter of minutes, visibility could drop to 50 meters. Commander-in-Chief Dwight Eisenhower demanded minute-by-minute weather reports. All responsibility fell on the chief meteorologist and his team.
Allied military assistance in the fight against the Nazis
1944 The Second World War has been going on for four years. The Germans occupied all of Europe. Great Britain's allied forces Soviet Union and the US needs a decisive blow. Intelligence reported that the Germans would soon begin to use guided missiles and atomic bombs. A vigorous offensive was supposed to interrupt the Nazi plans. The easiest way is to go through occupied territories, such as France. The secret name of the operation is “Overlord”.
The landing of 150 thousand Allied soldiers in Normandy was planned in May 1944. They were supported by transport aircraft, bombers, fighters and a flotilla of 6 thousand ships. Dwight Eisenhower commanded the offensive. The landing date was kept in the strictest confidence. At the first stage, the Normandy landings of 1944 were supposed to capture more than 70 kilometers of the French coast. The exact areas of the German assault were kept strictly secret. The Allies chose five beaches from east to west.
The Commander-in-Chief's Alarms
May 1, 1944 could potentially become the date for the start of Operation Overlord, but this day was abandoned due to the unpreparedness of the troops. For military-political reasons, the operation was postponed to the beginning of June.
In his memoirs, Dwight Eisenhower wrote: “If this operation, the American landing in Normandy, does not take place, then only I will be to blame.” At midnight on June 6, Operation Overlord begins. Commander-in-Chief Dwight Eisenhower personally visits the 101st Air Force just before departure. Everyone understood that up to 80% of the soldiers would not survive this assault.
"Overlord": chronicle of events
The airborne landings in Normandy were to take place first on the shores of France. However, everything went wrong. The pilots of the two divisions needed good visibility, they were not supposed to drop troops into the sea, but they saw nothing. The paratroopers disappeared into the clouds and landed several kilometers from the collection point. The bombers would then clear the way for the amphibious assault. But they did not fix their goals.
12 thousand bombs had to be dropped on Omaha Beach to destroy all obstacles. But when the bombers reached the shores of France, the pilots found themselves in a difficult situation. There were clouds all around. The bulk of the bombs fell ten kilometers south of the beach. Allied gliders proved ineffective.
At 3.30 am the flotilla headed for the shores of Normandy. After a few hours, the soldiers boarded small wooden boats to finally reach the beach. Huge waves rocked small boats like matchboxes in the cold waters of the English Channel. Only at dawn did the Allied landing in Normandy begin (see photo below).
Death awaited the soldiers on the shore. There were barriers and anti-tank hedgehogs all around, everything around was mined. The Allied fleet fired at the German positions, but strong storm waves prevented accurate fire.
The first soldiers to land were faced with fierce fire from German machine guns and cannons. Hundreds of soldiers died. But they continued to fight. It seemed like a real miracle. Despite the most powerful German barriers and bad weather, the largest landing force in history began its offensive. Allied soldiers continued to land on the 70-kilometer beach of Normandy. During the day, the clouds over Normandy began to clear. The main obstacle for the Allies was the Atlantic Wall, a system of long-term fortifications and rocks that protect the coast of Normandy.
The soldiers began to climb the coastal cliffs. The Germans fired at them from above. By mid-day, the Allied troops began to outnumber the fascist Normandy garrison.
The old soldier remembers
American Army private Harold Gaumbert recalls 65 years later that, closer to midnight, all the machine guns fell silent. All Nazis were killed. D-Day is over. The landing in Normandy, the date of which was June 6, 1944, took place. The Allies lost almost 10,000 soldiers, but they captured all the beaches. It looked as if the beach had been flooded with bright red paint and bodies had been scattered. Wounded soldiers lay dying under the starry sky, while thousands of others moved forward to continue the fight against the enemy.
Continuation of the assault
Operation Overlord has entered its next phase. The task is to liberate France. On the morning of June 7, a new obstacle appeared before the Allies. Impenetrable forests became another barrier to attack. The intertwined roots of the Norman forests were stronger than the English ones on which the soldiers trained. The troops had to bypass them. The Allies continued to pursue the retreating German troops. The Nazis fought desperately. They used these forests because they learned to hide in them.
D-Day was just a battle won; the war was just beginning for the Allies. The troops the Allies encountered on the beaches of Normandy were not the elite of the Nazi army. The days of the hardest fighting began.
The scattered divisions could be defeated by the Nazis at any moment. They had time to regroup and replenish their ranks. On June 8, 1944, the battle for Carentan began, this city opens the way to Cherbourg. It took more than four days to break the resistance of the German army.
On June 15, the forces of Utah and Omaha finally united. They took several cities and continued their offensive on the Cotentin Peninsula. The forces united and moved towards Cherbourg. For two weeks, German troops offered fierce resistance to the Allies. On June 27, 1944, Allied troops entered Cherbourg. Now their ships had their own port.
Last attack
At the end of the month, the next phase of the Allied offensive in Normandy began, Operation Cobra. This time the target was Cannes and Saint-Lo. The troops began to advance deeper into France. But the Allied offensive was opposed by serious resistance from the Nazis.
The French resistance movement, led by General Philippe Leclerc, helped the Allies enter Paris. Happy Parisians greeted the liberators with joy.
On April 30, 1945, Adolf Hitler committed suicide in his own bunker. Seven days later, the German government signed a pact of unconditional surrender. The war in Europe was over.